JTech780

I know Neal prefers RW because he can get his one timers off, but that hasn't been happening this year. If he is ready to go I wonder if he would be willing to play LW. Neal-Jankowski-Czarnik. I mean it's all shooters, but the top 2 lines aren't getting touched, and the 4th line is rolling.

There goes some forward depth, though he was behind Quine and Dube on the depth chart at LW anyways. This hurts the Heats chances of making a run at the playoffs more than hurts the Flames chances in the playoffs.

I think what is getting misunderstood here is that when myself or other posters talk about a players hockey IQ, we are referring to their ability to think while on the ice and how quickly they reacted to situations. Hockey IQ is just a hockey buzz word. My new favorite one is situational awareness, the ability to not only think the game but to also take the situation of the game into account when making decisions during a game. I think a guy like Derek Ryan is one of the smartest players on the team and I get why Peters relies on him so much. Last night the puck deflected high into the air and everybody lost sight of it, except Ryan and he jumped up and knocked the puck out of the air potentially saving a goal. To that's a small example, but it's those small things that add up and make Ryan a very good player.

You would have to think that if Bennett is going to be out for a bit longer that Mangiapane is going to slide into the 3rd line and Quine goes in on the 4th line. If it were up to me the bottom 6 would look like this: Mangiapane-Ryan-Czarnik Quine-Jankowski-Hathaway I do get the idea that that's a small 3rd line and they might get pushed around, but I would argue that they all possess the speed and smarts to compensate for lack of size. I think it's pretty clear at this point that Ryan is the better player than Jankowski, and think he should be playing higher in the lineup than the 4th line.

I wouldn't say that Jankowski is very good defensively. He is good on the PK because he uses his reach well, but 5v5 he seems lost a lot and his aggressivensss seems to go out the window.

All 5 are very good defensemen. I think it's funny that in another players poll Karlsson was in the top 5 of most overrated players in the league. I don't think Karlsson belongs in the top 5.

They might keep him up for the rest of the season at this point. Now that we have clinched, it should be a bit more about making sure we are as healthy as possible for the playoffs. So putting Lazar and/or Quine into the lineup to give guys a break here and there, might not be a bad idea.

I wonder if Bennett is going to out a bit longer than initially thought.

I am not sure there was a poster on here that watched more hockey than FF52, if I had a question about a player from another team, in particular the Flyers and the Jets, I knew FF52 would have an honest and accurate take or report on that player. These forums have lost a lot of knowledge and one heck of a poster. RIP FF52 you will be missed.

After bursting onto the scene Tuulola has quietly gone about his business. I wonder if we will see him in Stockton soon. I think he can turn into an effective bottom 6 guy.

He ended up signing with Ottawa. A few other guys that might be worth checking out are Jimmy Schuldt: a slick skating defenseman with a big shot. He has been the captain of his college team 3 of his 4 years at St. Cloud State. Josh Wilkins: an undersized C from Providence. Coming from that program you know that he will have a two ability. Nico Sturm: a big C, probably fits as a 4th line guy, has good attention to details especially on the defensive side of things. Also skates well.

I wouldn't mind seeing the D pairings look like: Giordano-Andersson Hanifin-Hamonic Fantenberg-Brodie I think Andersson has looked good with Giordano and plays a safer smarter game than Brodie. I think reducing Brodie's minutes helps him and Fantenberg plays a very safe steady game, something that you would think would help Brodie as well. This setup also lets you roll all 3 pairings pretty effectively which especially helps on the road where you aren't going to get the matchups you always want.

Have to like what we are seeing from Fantenberg. Doesn't wow you with anything he does, but he doesn't make mistakes and keeps the game very simple. Perfect 3rd pairing defenseman.